Paradigm Shift
by asdfghjklb
Summary: When Damon and Elena have been fighting nonstop Stefan decides to blackmail them into counseling. Will the tasks of strengthening their relationship and getting to their deep rooted issues bring Damon and Elena closer or farther apart? D/E
1. And we didn't learn a thing

_**You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. **_

_**~Jonathan Carroll  
><strong>_

"Damon! I'm going to kill you!" I shouted while ignoring the pain in my throat. My head was shoved into the freezer searching for the ice cream I've been looking forward to all day. It had been a very very very long day and all I wanted to do was come home and eat my ice cream. I woke up with a cold and have been so miserable. I thought I'd just come home and be able to sooth my throat and relax for a while but noooooo. This whole living at the boarding house was a good idea at first till I realized...I'm living with Damon freaking Salvatore! The most annoying person... or vampire that I know. We should have realized this was a disaster waiting to happen. And the disaster today was that he ate my ice cream.

"What did I do now?" I was still peering into the freezer, looking at every shelf to see if maybe I missed it. I didn't even want to look at him right now.

"I-uhh." I gave a humorless laugh and turned towards him. "I had ice cream in here." My voice was scratchy as it came out which my thoughts immediately went to how nice that ice cream would have been at this moment.

"Well how fortunate for you." He smirked at me while crossing his arms and leaning on the door. "It sounds like you could use some with that cold of yours." My glare just intensified.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and went back to searching through the freezer. I even looked through the ice basket just in case. "It's not in here. Where is my ice cream?"

"What makes you think I took your ice cream?" He put on the most innocent face he could muster but I could see right through it.

"Because Stefan doesn't like normal food and that only leaves you and me. I was at school all day."

"I didn't take your ice cream." He was now getting defensive and I knew he ate it. I just knew that lying face by now. I closed the freezer and walked right up to him.

"I was thinking of that ice cream all day."

"Now that is just sad." He mocked me as he casually walked past me and over to the freezer. I watched as he looked through it and then closed it. "You are right. There is no ice cream in here."

"Go buy me ice cream!"

"Why should I have to get you ice cream?" I was not in the mood for him right now and all I wanted to do was shove sand paper down his throat so he would just know how I felt and see if he liked it.

"Because I'm sick and you ate mine."

"I did not eat your ice cream!" He yelled back and just as I was about to respond Stefan came into the kitchen.

"What is going on?" He demanded and we both started talking at the same time, complaining about one another. "You guys are fighting again?" At the same time we both crossed our arms in stubbornness as Stefan took the roll of the angry parent. "How are we going to live like this if you two wont stop arguing over the most ridiculous things."

"He ate my ice cream!"

"She is blaming me for eating her frozen delights!"

"Are you guys kidding me? There are so many other very serious issues going on and this is what you two are fighting about?" We were both quiet but that didn't mean that I wasn't still mad at Damon. "I can't take your fighting anymore. It is making me and the neighbors miserable. It has to end."

"And what are you really going to do about it Stefan?" Damon said cockily. He knew Stefan couldn't really change anything.

"I'm making you guys go to relationship counseling." He stated and I believe my jaw may have grazed the floor. I looked over to Damon who had the same expression for only seconds and then his calm and collective self came back.

"Yea, okay." Damon said sarcastically as he went to walk out of the kitchen.

"Either way you two are going to be going." Stefan's words made Damon stop in his tracks and he gave Stefan a disbelieving look. I would usually support him but Stefan was over his head on this one.

"Are you delusional?" I almost let a laugh escape at the expression on Damon's face.

"Yea, seriously Stefan. I am not going to counseling with... that." I pointed towards Damon and he gave me a sarcastic smile.

"I'm setting an appointment up for the weekend." He said completely ignoring us.

"It's just a waste of your time." Damon muttered as he walked out of the kitchen. So much for a relaxing evening. I took a deep breath and went to turn around back to the fridge but stopped when Damon's head popped up by the door. "Oh and by the way, I so ate your ice cream."

"I knew it!" Without thinking I sprinted out of the kitchen after him completely forgetting about Stefan and my cold.

* * *

><p>It had been a day since the ice cream fiasco and Stefan hasn't brought up the counseling again. I was starting to believe he forgot about it, but for some reason in the back of my head I didn't really believe that he did. I was sitting on the couch drinking some soup when I heard someone yell. I then quickly realized that it wasn't just a someone, it was a Damon. I heard him muttering very loudly to himself as he marched down the stairs. I was in the middle of blowing on the soup that was on my spoon when I dropped the spoon all together at seeing a practically naked Damon descend from the stairs. When I realized my mouth was still open from blowing on the soup I quickly shut it and tried to pry my eyes away from Damon.<p>

"Why are you in a towel?" My voice squeaked out but I blamed it on the cold. "And why are you wet?" When trying to avert my eyes from his naked wet chest, I ended up focusing on one bead of water that slowly leaving a trail down to his-.

"Elena!" I suddenly snapped out of it when I realized he has been talking. "Will you ogle me later? Where is your boyfriend?" Boyfriend? Oh Stefan.

"He's umm." I found my voice again and I suddenly noticed it was odd that I haven't seen Stefan since I've been home. "I don't know." I frowned while standing up. I walked over to my purse that was on a table and started to look for my phone. I kept searching but I couldn't find it. "Have you seen my phone?" I asked and and he just gave me a look stating he didn't care about my phone. "I swore it was in here." As I looked through my purse again I noticed something else was missing. "My keys are missing too!"

"Your boyfriend has some explaining to do." Oh no. What did he do?

"Why?" Damon didn't get a chance to respond when the door of the boarding house creaked open. Stefan walked through, looking at the mail in his hands and was completely oblivious to the naked Damon and I staring daggers at him.

"Stefan." Damon shoved out between his teeth.

"Dam- Where are your clothes?" Stefan said as he finally glanced at us.

"You know why clothes aren't even important right now." I glanced back at Damon only for my eyes to land on flesh that was inches away from me.

"Actually clothes would be nice right now Damon. It's less... distracting." My brain was not functioning today, I should know that Damon would over think that statement but I immediately knew something was wrong when he didn't even comment on it. Before I knew what was happening there was a blur and neither Salvatore could be spotted. I could hear rustle and I knew they were fighting. What if that towel fell off? That would be awkward. I tried to find them, telling myself it was just to make sure no one got hurt.

When I did find them they were standing only feet apart and the only thing separating them was a beam of light that snuck through the drape. What was going on?

"In a few minutes when the sun is out of the way, you are dead." I almost flinched at how harsh Damon's words were. I walked next to Damon and looked between the two brothers.

"What is going on?" I asked and I saw Stefan reach into his pocket and pull something out. Two seconds later Damon's hand shot out to grab it but he was suddenly being burned and pulled back. "Stefan..." I said while looking at Damon's hand. "Why did he just sizzle?"

"Damon doesn't shower with his ring on?" Stefan said while smiling and showed that it was Damon's ring that he had in his hand.

"You took my phone and keys, didn't you?"

"You guys will get them back if you just agree to the counseling." He shrugged.

"No way." We both persistently said.

"Oh I think you guys will go. Or Damon will never be able to see sun again and Elena you will be trapped here with Damon the whole time."

"So either way we have to spend time together?" Damon said like he was sentenced to be tortured.

"Hey, I'm not that bad! It's me who is going to suffer." There was a long pause when I finally decided to be grown up about this and just do it. "Fine, we will do it."

"Speak for yourself." I rolled my eyes and glanced back at Damon.

"Do you want to be able to leave this house?" I watched as he gave a glance around.

"Fine." He muttered. "Now give me my ring!"

"I think I'll just hold on to it for now." Stefan said while walking away.

"This is all your fault." I said as I turned towards him.

"My fault? You are the one who wouldn't let the ice cream issue go!"

"Well if you didn't eat my ice cream this wouldn't be a problem!" We continued to argue and it only hit me halfway through that maybe, therapy would be good for us. Or someone was going to end up staked or bit.

_**AN: Hey guys this is a new story for my writers block. It's going to be a fun story but of course with some serious moments. Tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions feel free to mention them.**_

_**Review:) **_


	2. For The Better

"_**If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. "**_

I did my best to be silent as I climbed out of the bed. It was the middle of the night and I'm betting it was also the darkest night of the month. I couldn't see much but after a while my eyes adjusted enough to see slight shadows. As I was stepping onto the ground the floorboards creaked as soon as I made contact with them. I winced and quickly brought my foot back up and glanced towards Stefan to see if he had woken up. When I saw that he was still passed out I made a leap and jumped off the bed all together landing with a thud, luckily that didn't wake him either.

I didn't know where to start but I had to find my phone and keys. I couldn't do what Stefan wanted me to. I wasn't going to let him control my actions, even when his heart was in the right place. I mean, I get where he is coming from. It must me exhausting listening to Damon and I fight so much, it tires me out but come on, this wasn't going to help anything anyway. Damon and I weren't something you can just fix. We go from getting along perfectly to hating each other the next minute. That's just how it is. But it would be nice not fighting with Damon so much. Stefan just wanted us to get along. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I could just suck it up and do it for Stefan.

The moment the thought of sitting in a room discussing my feelings to a complete stranger about Damon forced me to disregard my last thought and start searching throughout the room. I tiptoed over to Stefan's side of the bed and very quietly opened his drawer. I couldn't see anything so I started feeling around till I came in contact with something plastic and pulled it off. I strained my eyes to see what it was till it suddenly lit up. I quickly hid the beam of light realizing it was a flashlight and looked to see if Stefan had made any movement. Of course he was still oblivious so I brought the flash light back up, thinking it would be useful.

I spent my time looking around the room as fast and as quiet as humanly possible. I had the flash light for a few minutes when it started flickering. When the light completely disappeared I hit it a few times and when the light finally appeared again I nearly screamed at the image in front of me. Damon's hand went straight for my mouth, muffling out my screams before they could make a sound. Once the shock of him appearing was over he slowly took his hand off my mouth and I took a deep breath.

"What are you doing in here?" I said with as much anger that could be projected into a whisper.

"I like to watch you and Stefan sleep." He said sarcastically as he grabbed the flashlight out of my hands and started looking in the dresser that was in front of me. "What do you think I'm doing here?"

"I guess you are looking for-" I stopped talking when he turned back towards me with a loo that showed his question was rhetorical.

"Trust me Elena, I wouldn't be going through my brothers underwear drawer if it wasn't for him stealing my ring." He started throwing items of clothing over his shoulder that occasional hit me as I dodged out of the way.

"What are you doing? He's going to know we were looking."

"That wont matter if I find my ring." Of course it didn't matter to him. It mattered to me because I was going against Stefan. Stefan is going to think I lied to him when I said I'd do it. He's just going to think I was waiting till he was vulnerable and betray him. I couldn't have that. I picked up all the clothes he had thrown and started shoving them back into the drawer as Damon threw them out. "Stop that, you are getting in my way."

"You are ruining my plan." I shoved him out from the front of the dresser and started looking myself. I should have known better not to do that because Damon didn't know how to sit back an let someone else be in charge. It wasn't in his nature.

"You are a control freak, you know that?" He said while pushing me and taking his prior spot again.

"I'm the control freak?" I said it a little louder than I should have but I couldn't believe he just said that. "You have hypocrite written all your face."

"At least mine is a good looking face. That's more than you can say." He said laughing at his own snotty remark that was only funny to him.

"Yea, that would have hurt if I didn't already know how much you had once obsessed over this face." He had his mouth open, ready to reply when his words suddenly got caught in his throat. "What?" I said confused. Maybe I crossed the line? I was about to feel bad and apologize for some reason but the light from behind me suddenly switched on and I realized why he had suddenly changed.

"You know for dating a vampire and actually being a vampire you guys suck at sneaking around."

"Stefan." I was caught red handed. I had to cover this up. "I got up to go to the bathroom and then I came back and found him riffling through your clothes. I really don't know what his explanation is." I looked up over at Damon with a dramatic and innocent expression. "And I probably don't want to."

"You aren't getting out of this one." Damon said while glaring down at me.

"Stefan, clearly Damon has got some issues. I don't want to know what compels him to do the things that he does and you probably don't either so maybe we should all put this behind us and go back to bed." I went over to my side of the bed and got in while facing away from the boys and covering myself with the blanket all the way up to my face.

"It doesn't matter where you guys try to look. You won't find your stuff." Clearly I wasn't convincing Stefan. "Okay what about this? If you guys go to just one session I will give you a hint."

"Deal." Damon said before I could even turn back towards them.

"Damon!" I yelled not even caring about my innocent act. How could he just agree like that? We had to stick together on this one. "I thought you were on my side."

"All I need is a clue and I will find them Elena. What do you think I have been doing for the past hundred and some years?"

"Fine. Tomorrow we will go to your stupid therapy session and then you will give us the clue." I said while Stefan nodded. "Now lets just go to bed, if I don't get enough sleep I'll be in a bad mood tomorrow." I got comfortable while Damon went to leave the room but then stopped by the doorway.

"You are only fooling yourself darling. That is just your natural personality." I flung a pillow at him but before it could even touch him he had vanished out the room.

"I'm so looking forward to this." I said sarcastically to Stefan which he just gave a sympathetic smile to and switched off the light. My plan to get out of this whole ordeal was ruined. And it was all Damon's fault.

_**AN: Hey guys:) So I know that it took a month to update but again this is a writers block story. I'll only write when I have writers block so that might mean I'll update every single day or unfortunately once a month. But I don't think it will be that way anymore because I only have one story going on now and I plan on starting another one soon. So the probability of more writers block is high. . **_

_**Next chapter will be their first therapy session. Thanks for reading.  
><strong>_

_**Review:)**_


	3. You do what you do to get through

_**Love is not the opposite of hate. Love and hate are very similar emotions. Like a faucet with hot and cold handles, both temperatures of water come out of the same faucet. The opposite of love is indifference. Like a faucet with no water coming out.**_

_**~ Dave Berg**_

I sat in an uncomfortable chair as I waited in painful silence. It was getting late at night and I was tired and just wanted to go home. If it wasn't for Damon not being able to go out during the day then we probably would have this done and over with by now. I've never dreaded something as much as I am dreading this first therapy session in my life. It was somewhat intimidating and if I was honest I didn't do well in situations like that. I may act like it doesn't phase me but it always has a way of getting to me.

I was having the same feeling I used to get as a kid before I went to doctors or the dentist. I don't know why but I hated those appointments with a passion. I never had a specific reason for hating it so much, all I knew is that I did. And just like a dentist and doctors waiting room, there was that distinctive smell surrounding this waiting room as well. It was like the cherry on top and made my uneasiness more apparent.

The place that Stefan sent us to was very low key. The building was set up almost like an apartment complex and each door was a different business with one waiting room for them all. There was a massage parlor right across from where we were waiting and the hole time I was contemplating convincing Damon to ditch the session and go get massages. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken too much convincing as he was squirming in his seat just as well.

"I hate this." I mumbled under my breath but loud enough for him to hear besides me.

"Smells like a dentist office." He cringed his nose and I almost laughed that we were probably thinking the same thing.

"I know, right?" I sighed and looked around. The session before us must be running late because we have been waiting for over fifteen minutes. "When I was a kid I used to think if my parents would leave me alone with my dentist he would pull all my teeth out with pliers. I'm having that feeling again."

"Don't worry, unless Stefan got us into some freaky shit, that shouldn't happen."

"Whatever, you can act as if none of this actually affects you but I'm sure you have that awful gut feeling as well." I rolled my eyes and started looking around, waiting for the door in front of us to open already.

"No, Elena I'm so ecstatic to talk and open up about my feelings." He said sarcastically with a smirk and I chuckled a little under my breath.

"You have feelings?" I said with fake shock as his smirk dropped off his face. Right at that moment the door in front of us opened as a women who had to be in her fifties and younger women who was probably a few years older than me stepped out. I watched as the younger women said goodbye and started to walk towards the stairs a couple feet away. I turned back towards Damon to see him obviously checking her out as she walked away. I hit him in his chest as hard as I could till he came back to reality. "Really? Right now?"

"So you must be my eight o'clock." My attention was turned back to the older women who must be the psychologist.

"Yes, I'm Elena and this is Damon." I said as I stood up and shook her hand as Damon did the same. I looked up at Damon to see him looking very uncomfortable and I could feel my own smirk play at my lips. Maybe if Damon didn't pride him self at making people feel awkward it wouldn't have been so enjoyable.

"It's nice to meet you. My name in Gail. Please come in." She said gesturing towards the door.

"Lets get this over with." I heard Damon say as he followed me into her office. There was a separate room with her desk and the other with some furniture which she lead us into. The room was warm with soft earth tones which made it a lot more comfortable then the florescent lighting in the waiting room. The retched feeling in my stomach was starting to let up as the environment became more welcoming. I couldn't say the same for Damon though as he still seemed tense. To anyone else he probably looked as cool as a cucumber. But I knew better.

She motioned for us to sit down on the big fluffy couch that was across from a chair she sat in. Damon and I both sat in the middle of the couch and I tried to keep my tongue in check but at this moment I really wanted to tell him to move over. I felt him start to nudge me in my ribcage with my elbow so I would move. I shot him a glare and started to nudge him, signaling I wasn't going to be the one moving.

"Don't you embarrass me." I said harshly under my breath and turned towards Gail. "What is all going to be happening during these... sessions?" I had no idea what went down at these sort of things. After my parents death they tried to get me to see someone but I didn't see the point in pouring my guts out to some stranger and talking about my life. I was hoping since Damon was there and it was all about working on our friendship, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Well for this first session is going to be different from the rest. I will be getting to know you two and your reason for coming so I can understand you and know how to help your situation."

"Okay." I said hesitantly. I was waiting or Damon to say something... anything. It was strange for him to sit back and let me take the reigns.

"So what brings you guys to me? Are you having relationship problems?"

"Oh we aren't together." I quickly said.

"It's not like I haven't tried" Damon finally found his voice which just made me roll my eyes. I saw Gail quirk an eyebrow at us and I got even more frustrated with Damon. Sometimes people didn't understand his sarcasm. That was sarcastic, right?

"I'm dating his brother. The reason why we came is because we have been fighting so much and we just want to be civil around each other."

"Trust me, this wasn't our idea." Damon said while really pulling off his extremely annoyed act.

"So you two don't think your relationship needs mending?" She asked sceptically

"No. Neither of us would just take such drastic measures on our free will." I added. I didn't want it to make it look like we didn't care. "We just needed a push."

"Speak for yourself. I just think if we are around each other more we are going to fight more." Damon added while sounding like begin around me was like getting the plague.

"Do you not like it when you fight?" Gail added which made Damon smirk. Figures he would find something smirk-able.

"No I actually love getting under her skin." He said with pure enjoyment. "It brightens my day. I just hate it when the fights affect my social life. Ergo being here frustrates me."

"Of course our fighting makes you happy because you just love to see me miserable."

"What do you guys usually fight about?" Gail quickly quickly got out before Damon could respond.

"Most of the time it is the little things. Like Damon wont let me rearrange the living room or he will take something of mine and not put it back. It's just the tiny things that get us riled up."

"So you guys live together. Do you seem to be arguing more now?"

"It's a big house. And one of the reasons why we need to stop fighting but I think it has always been this way. Actually I think when we didn't live together our fights were bigger. More serious than the ones we have now." It's not like I could tell her that we've grown a lot since he killed my brother. But actually we are better than we were before in the sense that I didn't have such a powerful amount of hate in me for him.

"Its seems as if you blame Damon a lot for your fighting. Damon you are being awfully silent. Why do you think you fight so much?"

"I feel like..." He hesitated for a moment and then it was almost as if something switched in him and he finally said something that was going through his head. " I think the reason we fight so much is because she holds a grudge against me. It is easier for her to get mad at me for picking on her then bringing up past problems."

"Whoa." I didn't mean for it to slip but I was honestly surprised by his genuine answer. Did he really think I was somehow holding things against him still? "I'm not- why didn't you ever tell me you thought I was harboring ill feelings towards our past issues?"

"I thought it was always obvious. I mean how could it not be?" It wasn't though. Every time that he has hurt me some way I think I'll never forgive him and that I will hate him forever. But when I decide to forgive I truly do forgive him.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way. Trust me when I say this Damon, I forgive you for that stuff and those things you did. You are a different person now and I know that. Soon you will too." Damon just stared at me as he furrowed his eyebrows and thought it over.

"It looks like you guys are on two different pages on why you fight. Which we will get to, but what else besides your relationship is present in your life? Tell me about your friends and family."

"I don't have friends and my brother is the only family I have left." Damon didn't seem too interested in the topic.

"That's not true! You have Alaric and Liz. You have me too. And you had Rose so it is not like you are incapable of having friends. You just choose to think differently"

"What about your childhood Damon?" I don't think Gail knew what she was getting into here. Damon talking about his childhood was always a sore spot. You just didn't bring it up. "How were your parents? Did you have friends growing up?"

"Maybe we shouldn't-" I started but was cut off when Damon stood up.

"And that is where I've had enough." Damon started walking towards the door before I could even register he was leaving.

"Damon wait!" I called after him but it was like white noise to him as he just walked out of the room. "I'm sorry." I turned back to Gail while grabbing my purse off the couch. I wasn't mad at Damon. I understood why he just ditched but I still wish we could have stayed for the whole session.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be seeing you soon." She said it so positive as if Damon walking out wasn't a huge sign that he wasn't going to be coming back.

"Thanks for your time." I gave her the best smile I could and quickly rushed after Damon. I went and opened the door heading out towards the small waiting room and saw Damon already heading down the steep stairs. I rushed after him and when I caught up at the bottom of the steps I put my hand on his shoulder, wanting him to stop for a second.

"What?" He snapped as he turned back towards me. He was already defensive, thinking I was mad at him.

"I just wanted to say thanks for trying." I gave him a small smile and stepped ahead of him, exiting the building and heading towards the car as he stood there for a few seconds. I was hoping that maybe he was thinking he could have tried harder. Cause if he did, we might just get somewhere.

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